1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a light fixture for mounting to a ceiling fan.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ceiling fans have been used for several years for circulating air with in a room. The ceiling fans are usually mounted to an electrical outlet formed in the ceiling of the type usually adapted for light fixtures. Because the ceiling fan is substituted for any light fixture which would otherwise be mounted to the ceiling, light fixtures designed specifically for ceiling fans have been used which mount to the ceiling fan instead of the ceiling.
A ceiling fan usually consists of a motor housing from which as set of radially extending fan blades extend therefrom. Mounted below the fan blades is a switch housing. The switch housing is usually cylindrical in shape and has a flat, circular bottom or lower portion. Most prior art ceiling fan light fixtures, such as the light fixture shown in FIG. 2, consist of a base having a flat upper surface which abuts against the lower surface of the switch housing of the ceiling fan. These light fixtures are usually fastened to the base by means of a protruding threaded rod which extends from the upper surface of the light fixture and through a threaded aperture or opening in the bottom of the switch housing.
Difficulty often arises when mounting these prior art light fixtures to the ceiling fan. It is often difficult to determine when the threaded rod is aligned with the aperture in the switch housing during installation. As a result, the person installing the light fixture will sometimes slide the threaded rod over the lower surface of the switch housing until the threaded rod is aligned or received with in the threaded aperture.
In some ceiling fans or light fixtures, it is sometimes necessary to remove a lower plate of the switch housing in order to facilitate mounting of the light fixture to the ceiling fan.
Prior art light fixtures, as those shown in FIG. 2, also have the appearance of being a separate and distinct attachment to the ceiling fan. The diameter of the base of the light fixture which attaches to the switch housing is often smaller than that of the switch housing. Because the upper surface of the light fixture is flat and abuts directly against the lower surface of the switch housing, a definite demarcation exists which distinguishes the ceiling fan from the attached light fixture.
What is needed is a light fixture which attaches to the ceiling fan which is easy to install and has the appearance of being an integral part of the ceiling fan so that it does not appear as a separate attached fixture.